§ We’re going through a pretty horrific time in our nation’s history right now, and it’s a time of grief and fear. The rise of hatred and violence weighs heavy on my mind, along with the need to support and love people who are at risk. If you want to try to do some good in the world, it’s worth remembering that many LQBTQIA+ people spend every day of their lives fighting laws that make it legal to discriminate against them, and we should all join them in the fight for equality. America was founded on inclusion, immigration (look it up) and the unique potential of all humans. These ideals have of course been tragically trampled, muddied and contradicted at many points in our history, and we’re still trying to right these ills. But it won’t happen by sitting around and doing nothing. It’s like exercise. You have to do something about it and not just talk about doing something about it.

Anyway, if you want a full dose of my feelings on this, follow my twitter or my FB. This is a website about comic books, and I’m going to stick with writing about comic books here, and maybe trying to shine some light on things that are good and beautiful and wonderful, along with all the nerd news you need, as usual. That doesn’t mean I’m not sad and angry about a lot of things, however.

With that in mind, here’s a picture of cartoonist Jim Woodring using the giant steel nib pen that he made a few years ago. He demonstrated it at the Seattle Art Museum, and I feel this qualifies and good, wonderful and beautiful. Enjoy.

Those who were tabling seemed to be doing well. I spoke with one publisher who jokingly expressed mild disappointment that they were only doing about as well as last year, which was a high bar for them. Individual creators seemed to be doing well, too — I started seeing things selling out around 1:30 on Saturday, and there was a photo posted online later in the day that showed a number of tables that had been all but cleared of books. Chester Brown had a long line of autograph seekers every time I went by, and there were several other creators I had to wait a bit to get a chance to talk to. (And I never did get to Sarah Becan’s table! Sorry, Sarah!) The show has garnered enough of a reputation that they’re having creators from not-at-all close locations (including other countries) trying to get a table. I spoke with creators from Oregon, Colorado, Massachusetts, California, and New York; and I believe there were creators who flew in from Hawaii and Australia as well!

According to an official statement from DC, this year’s Batman Day will boast free comic book giveaways and talent signings with several major players behind Batman, including Frank Miller, Scott Snyder, Tom King, James Tynion IV, Greg Capullo, and many more that have yet to be announced. Additionally, DC is partnering with several Warner Bros. Consumer Products licensees, including Capstone Young Readers, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, DK Licensing, Bendon, and HarperCollins, for all-new Batman products. The one-day event promises “Bat-centric promotions, fan giveaways and more, all to honor the character that has become a Super Hero to many generations and continues to inspire fans across the globe.”

§ Evan Dorkin is going to HeroesCon, along with his squad of Sarah Dyer and Emily Dyer, and he drew a comic about it! I will only reproduce three panels of this comic, but you are sure to click on the link for the rest. All that said, the type is tiny and my eyesight is not up to reading it.

“San Andreas” director Brad Peyton is attached to direct the big-screen version of James Wan’s graphic novel “Malignant Man”. “Malignant Man” was created by “The Conjuring 2” helmer with writer Michael Alan Nelson and artist Piotr Kowalski for Boom! Studios. “Malignant Man” centers on Alex Gates, a patient who is dying from a terminal disease. After accepting his fate, he discovers that his malignant tumor is actually an alien parasite which grants him incredible powers. With his powers, he sets out to fight a secret army buried beneath society while also remembering his past.

§ And J. Michael Straczinski’s (memba him?) Rising Stars, published by Top Cow, has also been optioned:

MGM has optioned Rising Stars, the Top Cow comic series created byJ. Michael Straczynski. He is set to write the script, and Alex Gartner and Richard Suckle will produce for Atlas Entertainment. Straczynski created/produced the Emmy and Hugo-winning Babylon 5 series, and he most recently wrote and exec produced with Lily and Lana Wachowski the Netflix series Sense 8, and his script credits include Changeling, Ninja Assassin, Thor, Underworld Awakening and World War Z.

The series is about a bunch of “specials” who have superpowers and how they interact with society. A sturdy topic. The series was drawn by various artists including Keu Cha, Ken Lashley and Christian Zanier.

Heidi MacDonald is the founder and editor in chief of The Beat. In the past, she worked for Disney, DC Comics, Fox and Publishers Weekly. She can be heard regularly on the More To Come Podcast. She likes coffee, cats and noble struggle.